Handle and stamp body magnetically coupled



Felb. 7, 1967 P. G. BLANCHE-r 3,302,566

HANDLE AND STAMP BODY MAGNETICALLY COUPLED Filed July 22, 1964 :Erg-r1. .3.

' INVENTOR. PAUL El ANCH/5T United States Patent 3,302,566 HANDLE AND STAMP BODY MAGNETICALLY CQUPLED Paul G. Blanchet, 61 Cleveland St., Grange, NJ. 07050 Filed July 22, 1964, Ser. No. 384,302 4 Claims. (Cl. 101-405) This invention relates to stamps and more especially to so-called rubber stamps and also to compartmentized containers or holders carrying a plurality of individual stamping means.

One of the main lfeatures of this invention is to provide a novel combination which comprises (l) a stamping means having magnet means secured thereto, with said magnet means having a plurality of poles of opposite polarities spaced from each other and (2) a handle having a magnet means secured thereto, with said magnet me-ans having a plurality of poles of opposite polarities spaced from each other. The novel handle and magnet means carried thereby is conventionally placed on the novel stamping means carrying the other magnet means thereby to dispose adjacent each other the poles of the separate magnets of different polarities whereby the magnet means become automatically magnetically coupled together to maintain the handle in fixed position with respect to the stamping means so that they are in operative relationship and the assembly is ready for stamping. Then the user may uncouple the handle from the stamping means 'by lmerely rotating the handle with respect to the stamping means thereby to locate the poles of the magnet means in repelling relationship whereby the handle is readily removafble from the stamping means.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of a novel container which is compartmentized, contains inking -means and has a plurality of stamping means located in certain compartments thereof. This novel combination, which may or may not `include the novel handle as an element thereof, serves as a carrier for the stamping element and if desired may have a cover Itherefor.

The objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of an embodiment illustrating a novel handle and stamping means in assembly of this invention ready for stamping use.

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of a magnet means secured to a wooden handle and together serve as an element of this invention as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view in top elevation of a stamping means and magnet of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial and fragmentary View, which is partly in section and shows the relative positions of the poles of the magnets respectively secured to the stamping means and handle in the course of moving the -handle to insert the magnet carried thereby into a recess of the stamping means.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but taken at an angle of 90 from tha-t of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a partial and fragmentary View showing the handle operatively coupled with the stamping means by the magnetic coupling shown.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but with the magnets in repelling relationship whereby lthe handle is easily detachable from the stamping means.

FIG. 8 is a view in perspective and partially in section and shows the stamping means-magnet combinations in a compartmentized container; and also shows the handlemagnet coupled with `one of them.

ICC

As shown in the drawings there is a conventional stamping means 9 and a conventional handle 20.

The conventional stamping means 9 consists of a shallow wooden yblock 10 support for a foam rubbery backing 11 secured thereto and a thin rubber strip-sheet y12 in turn secured to backing 11 and having raised letters, numbers or other characters to be printed on the exposed outer surface thereof. The block 10 has a cylindrical recess 13 therein for receiving the tendon of a handle.

The conventional handle 20 like block 10 is composed of wood or other nonmagnetic material. The upper end of handle 20 is in the form of a knob 21 one side of which is cut-away to provide a flat surface 22 which faces the user. Integral with knob 21 is a shank 23 terminating in a wooden tendon, not shown, for insertion into the recess 13 in the stamping means to operatively couple stamping :means 9 and handle 20.

According to this invention the tendon is replaced by a magnet means 30 as shown in FIG. 2. The magnet means 30 is a short cylindrical permanent magnet element preferably composed of Alnico V or other permanently :magnetizable material of high coercivity and which has been completely saturated, that is permanently magnetized. The diameter of magnet 30 is a little less than the diameter of the recess 13. The magnet 30 has a central opening therethrough and has a plurality of and as shown two poles 31 and 32 which are spaced from each other, with the pole 31 being north and 32 being south. The working faces 34 and 35 of poles 31 and 32 are preferably in -approximately the same plane perpendicular to the altitude of the magnet 30 and -to the vertical center line of handle 20. A screw 24 extends through the central opening and into the handle 20 to firmly secure and to lock the magnet 30 to handle 20, whereby magnet 30 is obviously in nonrotatable relationship with respect to handle 20 and magnet 30 is movable in unison with handle 20.

Also according to this invention, a magnet 40, identical with magnet 30, is located in recess 13 and is fixed-ly secured and locked thereto by screw 15, whereby magnet 40 obviously is in nonrotatable relationship with respect to Iblock 10. The magnet 40 has two poles 41 and 42 which are spaced from each other, with 41 lbeing north and 42 being south. The magnet 40 is so disposed that the poles 41 and 42 extend normally upward towards the sively secured thereto.

open end of the recess 13 in communication with the outer ambient. The working faces 44 and 45 of poles 41 and 42 are in approximately the same plane perpendicular to the altitude of the magnet 40 and are in a plane suby st-antially parallel to the print-ing face of the strip 12.

The faces 44 and 45 are located in the recess 13 a considerable distance below or inside the outer extremity of recess 13. The upper face of the block 10 may have a thin film or strip 50 of paper or plastic material adhe- The strip 50 contains a visual printing of the letters, iigures, characters or the like of the strip 12. And, in the particular embodiment shown for the purpose of illustration it is AIR MAIL. The strip 50 is cut or stamped out at its center and this piece 51 is located in and adhesively secured to the pole faces 44 and 45 so that upon top-viewing the stamping means all of the printed matter is viewable as shown in FIG. 3. Because the strip 50 is very thin 'and is composed of nonmagnetic material it will not adversely affect the intended use of the combination of this invention.

Also according to this invention as shown in FIG. 8 there is a shallow container or box 60 composed of transparent plastic material, carrying on the bottom thereof an inking pad 62 and divided into a plurality of compartments 63, 64 and 65 by strips 66 of plastic material. The

compartments are of different widthwise dimensions. Located in saidr Icompartments and resting on said inking pad 62 are a plurality of stamping means 4-9, with stampmg means 4 8 having a magnet 40 coupled therewith and being the same as the stamping means 9 and the magnet coupled therewith as hereinbefore described but differing therefrom only in the Widthwise and lengthwise dimensions of the wooden blocks thereof and in the exposed letters, numbers or other characters on the thin print-ing strip thereof. The diagonal dimension of each of said stamping means 49 is greater than the width of the particular compartment in which the particular stamping means is located so that no individual stamping means may be rotated 90 while in said compartment. Also all of said stamping means in said compartments are supported by said inking pad, with the raised letters, numbers or other characters of the thin strip, such as 12, being in Contact with the inking pad and with the recess, such as 13, in each of the stamping means being exposed. If desired the container 60 may have an additional compartment (not shown) but which is free of the inking pad and is used for the holding of the handle and magnet shown in FIG. 2. Also the container or box may have a cover thereon for obvious purposes.

With such a container containing the stamping meansmagnet combinations, the user grasps the knob ofthe handle 20, with the flat face 22 facing him, and moves handle 20 downwardly to insert the magnet 30 at the end thereof into recess 13 of the desired stamping means as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. This is continued until-the pole face 44 (north) is disposed close to pole face 35 (south) and pole face 45 (south) is disposed close to pole face 34 (north) and magnets 40 and 30 become magnetically coupled together thereby to operatively connect the handle 20 to stamping means 10 as shown in FIG. 6. The hand stamp is in condition for stamping use with the flat face 22, visually differing from the remainder of the vertical face of the handle 21, and facing the user and facing in the same direction as the disposition of the printed indicia or letters on strip 50 for normal reading thereof as shown in FIG. 1. The user then pushes the entire assembly downwardly on the supporting inking pad to assure adequate inking of the raised letter strip 12. Then the assembly is used in the conventional manner to stamp AIR MAIL as shown in FIG. 3 on an envelope or the like. Having served its purpose, that particular stamping means 9 lis returned to the container and the handle is detached therefrom. This is achieved by moving the entire assembly over to the container and with the flat face 22 facing the user, the stamping means 9 is inserted in the compartment in which it was first located. The handle 20 of the assembly is pushed downwardly by the hand and while so maintained, the handle 20 is rotated with respect to, the stamping means 9 coupled therewith. This rotation is continued unt-il the pole face 34 (north) is disposed yopposite like-polarity pole face 44 (north) and pole face 35 (south) is disposed opposite like-polarity pole face 45 (south) shown in FIG. 7 which -is readily discernible by the user and evidenced by a jumping of the handle 20 upwardly due to the repelling action of the like pole faces opposite each other. The handle 2tl-magnet 30 combination is easily detached from the stamping means 9 and now may be coupled with any of the other stamping means 4-8 which are combined with magnet 40.- The assembly may be used and then in the manner before described may be uncoupled. v

Because the Width of the individual compartments is less than the diagonal dimension of the stamping means therein, the user need not even press downwardly while rotating the handle 2t) of the `assembly shown in FIG. l. Even if the stamping means should rotate with the handle 20, 4it will rotate less than 90 so that when the corners thereof strike the compartment faces it will remain. stationary. while the handle Ztl-magnet 30. combination is 4 rotated with respect thereto to magnet repelling position as before described.

While the invention has been described in detail, it is not to be limited to the exact -construction shown and described for the reason that the same is subject to Various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

I claim:

1. A hand stamp assembly lcomprising stamping means, first magnet means nonrotatably secured thereto, said stamping meanshaving a recess therein, said first magnet means `disposed in said recess and having a pair of poles of opposite polarity, said poles located in said recess and disposed below the upper limit of said recess, a detachable handle, second magnet means nonrotatably secured to said handle but rotatable in unison with said handle, said second magnet means having a pair of poles of opposite polarity, at least a portion of said second magnet means located in said recess with the poles of said rst magnet means being adjacent the polarity-unlike poles of said second magnet means whereby said handle and said stamping means are magnetically coupled in operative relationship, said handle being rotatable -in unison with said second magnet means to rotate said second magnet means thereby to dispose the poles thereof adjacent the respective like-polarity poles of said first magnet means whereby said first and second magnet means are in repelling relationship and said handle is easily detachable from said stamping means.

2. A hand stamp comprising stamping means including a body carrying raised character printing means on the lower face thereof and having a recess therein extending through the upper face thereof, first magnet means disposed in said recess and secured to said body in nonrotatable relationship with respect to said body, said first magnet means disposed below the upper end of said recess, a detachable handle for said stamping means, second magnet means secured to said handle in nonrotatable relationship with respect to sai-d handle; in assembly for stamping use said second magnet means extending into said recess with a pole of said second magnet means being adjacent to an opposite-polarity pole of said first magnet means to magnetically couple said stamping means with said handle; said handle and said second magnet means being rotatable in unison to rotate said second magnet means in said recess to move said pole thereof away from said opposite-polarity pole and to move a pole of said second magnet means adjacent to a like-polarity pole of said first magnet means whereby said rst and second magnet means are in repelling relationship and said handle together with said second magnet means are in unison easily removable from said stamping means due to said repelling action tending to move said handle away from said recess. f

3. A hand stamp comprising:

(a) a first assembly comprising stamping means comprising a block of nonmagnetic material, means including indicia to be reproduced when said indicia are inked, said means secured to said block and extending normally downwardly from the bottom thereof, visual indicia on the normally upper surface of said block and corresponding to said first mentioned indicia, a recess in said block and extending through said upper surface, a first magnet disposed in said recess, nonrotatably secured to said block and having a pair of spaced poles of opposite polarity disposed in approximately the same plane and located below said upper surface, an-d below the upper extremity of said recess,

(b) a se-cond assembly comprising a handle of nonmagnetic material, a portion of the vertical face thereof being substantially flat and visually differing from the remainder of the vertical face thereof, a second magnet having a pair of spaced poles of opposite polarity disposed in approximately the same 5 6 plane, said second magnet being7 nonrotatably secured block, a portion of said element which would normally to and depending from said handle, extend over said recess being cut out and disposed face-up (c) when in position for stamping use said llat portion in said recess.

facing in the same direction as the disposition of said second mentioned indicia for normal reading thereof 5 References Cited by the Examiner and at least a portion of second magnet located in UNITED STATES PATENTS said recess, with the poles thereof being adjacent to 1,489,057 4/ 1924 Bernstein 10l405 and opposite respectively unlike poles of said first 2,209,809 7/1940 Burton u 317 201 magnet whereby said handle and said stamping means are magnetically coupled and maintained in Opera- 10 gli?? ""2 3217-2159 X tive relationship, said second assembly being rou 11er 9 '-2 1'5 X t 2,615,738 10/1952 Johnson 317-201 X atable to dispose the poles of said second magnet o 2,620,731 12/ 1952 Slonneger 101-405 pposite respectively like-polarity poles of said first 2 31 66 1/1 5 h magnet whereby said magnets are in repelling re- 7 53 1966 T Ompson 16-114 lationship and said second ,assembly is readily de- 15 31846 4 5/ 9 5 Bey 317-201 X tachable from said first assembly. l. 4. A hand stamp according to claim 2, an element ROBERT E PULFREY P'lmary Examme' carrying said second mentioned indicia and secured to said P. R. WOODS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A HAND STAMP ASSEMBLY COMPRISING STAMPING MEANS, FIRST MAGNET MEANS NONROTATABLY SECURED THERETO, SAID STAMPING MEANS HAVING A RECESS THEREIN, SAID FIRST MAGNET MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID RECESS AND HAVING A PAIR OF POLES OF OPPOSITE POLARITY, SAID POLES LOCATED IN SAID RECESS AND DISPOSED BELOW THE UPPER LIMIT OF SAID RECESS, A DETACHABLE HANDLE, SECOND MAGNET MEANS NONROTATABLY SECURED TO SAID HANDLE BUT ROTATABLE IN UNISON WITH SAID HANDLES, SAID SECOND MAGNET MEANS HAVING A PAIR OF POLES OF OPPOSITE POLARITY, AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID SECOND MAGNET MEANS LOCATED IN SAID RECESS WITH THE POLES OF SAID FIRST MAGNET MEANS BEING ADJACENT THE POLARITY-UNLIKE POLES OF SAID SECOND MAGNET MEANS WHEREBY SAID HANDLE AND SAID STAMPING MEANS ARE MAGNETICALLY COUPLED IN OPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP, SAID HANDLE BEING ROTATABLE IN UNISON WITH SAID SECOND MAGNET MEANS TO ROTATE SAID SECOND MAGNET MEANS THEREBY TO DISPOSE THE POLES THEREOF ADJACENT THE RESPECTIVE LIKE-POLARITY POLES OF SAID FIRST MAGNET MEANS WHEREBY SAID FIRST AND SECOND MAGNET MEANS ARE IN REPELLING RELATIONSHIP AND SAID HANDLE IS EASILY DETACHABLE FROM SAID STAMPING MEANS. 